Finishing Well

     It's crazy, I have everything I need. I am healthy. I have the promise and hope of heaven waiting for me. Every reason to be full of joy and praising God for it all.      Then why does my heart fail and despair rule? Why do the flood waters of sorrows past overwhelm me? The disappointments of life and the sad gray days of Winter remind me of past sins and poor decisions. Ugly naked trees mock me into withdrawal.      But, perhaps God calls me to this heap of woe, to settle my heart into His - for me to open my eyes to see the trials of others. Maybe a conviction that I must put pride and self pity away. He reminds me that He's lifted me from this pit before. Doesn't He want me to trust Him more, to believe anew that He always does exceedingly abundantly more than I could ever ask. And He is GOOD.      Mostly I must remember that Spring always follows Winter. New life, buds burst forth, nature sings!  Promised ho...

     I love the concept of manna; "I will feed you, I will take care of your body, I will provide all you need. But.....you are responsible for picking it up and cooking it."      His Word - our Bible - is our manna today. It indeed provides all we need: Phillipians 4:19, and my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.      It has given us power: 2 Timothy 1:7, for God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.      It tells us when we fall short: 2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for re proof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.      Indeed it contains everything: 2 Peter 1:3-4 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue by which have been given to us...

     Oops, we have forgotten who God is and decided we want to be God instead. We like the love and grace parts, when we need Him, and put Him on a shelf in a box when we are fine. A little box on a back shelf collecting dust. After all, this is America, the land of the free - bounty - self-sufficiency. How is that wrong, it's all about me and my rights, right?      But God is Sovereign and Holy and my response should be obedience. Sovereignty means possessing ultimate power, absolute authority, unlimited, unrestricted. God has the right to do whatever He wants. See Psalm 115:3      There was a problem then and a problem now according to Judges 17:6, in those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes. The book was Judges - God will be the ultimate Judge according to what we do with His authority. Psalm 96: 13...for He is coming to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with righteousness, and the peo...

     As I was applying eye shadow this morning, and then using a q-tip to blur the line, it occurred to me that as Christians we have blurred the lines of sin. We have taken God's commands and tweaked them to suit our cultural demands.      We have made up new names for sins; "hooking up" instead of fornication; "terminating" instead of abortion, "flings" rather than adultery; "alternative lifestyles" in place of any number of ways we decide is right in our own eyes.      Whatever we decide to call sin, we must remember that a Holy God knows the real names and that there are real consequences for the blurs, um, sins.  His Word is the final authority, it matters not what we as a society declare to be right.         God commands, demands, holiness. Are we seeking God's approval or man's approval? We can almost always find a man to approve our behaviors. Are we teaching our children what morality is according to Go...

     Grudge: To dislike or feel angry toward someone for something                    To give, do, or allow something in a reluctant or unwilling way.        How long do we cling to hurts, to wrongs, to past grievances? Past like long, long ago. Is there a formula? Could there be an expiration date, a time limit? Do we HAVE to forgive?      Joseph forgave his brothers for selling him away, and the people who promised to get him out of jail and then forgot. Jesus forgave His crucifiers!!! He forgives me when I repent!      So, why then, do we keep the sad, heavy burden of it? Why is it so very hard to let it go and go on to the next thing? Why do we remain paralyzed by past? Why not choose today to let it go, lay it down, give it up.      How often it is that the person we hold a grudge against has no clue they've even done anything - or it was long a...

     Lots of hate of late. Killings of Christians, bombings in Israel. The sermon on Sunday was about loving our enemies. Is that even possible??  Jesus says it in Matthew 5: "Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you."          As sobering as that commandment is, it is His Truth, same as for today, as yesterday, and the future. Is that why we sit silently? Is the Truth too hard for us to carry out?  Is it possible at all to fathom that Sovereign God sees and knows?      How long do we cry in anguish?  What must we do to put this passage in practice? Can we trust that it will all be for His glory? Trust is a key word. Psalm 70: 14 says "You are the God who does wonders; You have declared Your strength among the peoples."      So, we pray. We plead with this God of wonders......bring peace we cry.......ta...

     The drought is severe. The corn has dried up. The cucumbers are parched. Peas and limas barely hanging on. Tomatoes may be ok for a while longer, but there could be a revival if we get a good rain.      Maybe there's a spiritual drought in your life -  certainly in our country. Dryness. Deadness. Amos 8:11 "Behold, the days are coming," says The Lord God, "that I will send a famine on the land; not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of The Lord."      Revival can be easy for the crops - a good soaking rain or two. For us, it can be just as easy. Fall on our faces. Repent. Listen as God whispers sins we haven't even noticed. Repent for our Nation while we are on the floor. Cry out for mercy. Seek Him while He can be found!      Sometimes our drought is noticed by others before we are aware of it. People may come to us and ask if anything is wrong. Pay attention to the signs: goin...